Ezekiel 18

1 And the word of Yahweh came unto me saying:

And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

2 What occasion have ye, to be using this proverb, concerning the soil of Israel, saying, —Fathers eat sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are blunted?

“What [is it] to you [that] you are using this allegory Concerning the ground of Israel, saying, Fathers eat unripe fruit, And the sons’ teeth are blunted?

3 As I live, Declareth My Lord, Yahweh, Surely ye shall have occasion no longer to use this proverb, in Israel.

[As] I live,” a declaration of Lord YHWH, “You no longer have the use of this allegory in Israel.

4 Lo! as for all persons, mine they are, As the person of the father, so also the person of the son, mine they are, —The person that sinneth, the same shall die.

Behold, all the souls are Mine, As the soul of the father, So also the soul of the son—they are Mine, The soul that is sinning—it dies.

5 But when, any man, shall be righteous, and do justice and righteousness:

And a man, when he is righteous, And has done judgment and righteousness,

6 Upon the mountains, hath not eaten, And his eyes, hath not lifted up unto the manufactured gods of the house of Israel, And the wife of his neighbour, hath not defiled, And unto a woman during her removal, hath not approached;

He has not eaten on the mountains, And has not lifted up his eyes To idols of the house of Israel, And did not defile his neighbor’s wife, And did not come near to a separated woman,

7 And no man, hath treated with violence, But his debt-pledge, hath restored. Plunder, hath not seized, — His bread—to the famished, hath given, And the naked, hath covered with clothing;

He does not oppress a man, He returns his pledge to the debtor, He does not take away plunder, He gives his bread to the hungry, And covers the naked with a garment,

8 Upon interest, hath not put out his money. And increase, hath not accepted, From dishonesty, hath turned back his hand, — Justice in truth, hath done, between man and man;

He does not give in usury, and does not take increase, He turns back his hand from perversity, He does true judgment between man and man.

9 In my statutes, hath walked. And my regulations, hath observed to do them in truth, Righteous, he is, He shall surely live, Declareth My Lord. Yahweh.

He walks in My statutes, And he has kept My judgments—to deal truly, He [is] righteous—he surely lives,” A declaration of Lord YHWH.

10 But he hath begotten a son Who is a violent man A shedder of blood, - Who doeth the like of any of these things;

“And he has begotten a son, A burglar—a shedder of blood, And he has made a brother of one of these,

11 Whereas he, none of those other things, doeth, For indeed upon the mountains, he hath eaten, And the wife of his neighbour, hath defiled;

And he has not done all those, For he has even eaten on the mountains, And he has defiled his neighbor’s wife,

12 The oppressed and the needy, hath treated with violence, Hath ruthlessly plundered, The pledge, hath not restored, But unto the manufactured gods, hath lifted up his eyes, Abomination, hath wrought;

He has oppressed the afflicted and needy, He has taken away plunder violently, He does not return a pledge, And he has lifted up his eyes to the idols, He has done abomination!

13 Upon interest, hath put out. And increase, hath accepted—, And shall he live? He shall not live All these abominations, he hath done, He shall surely be put to death, His blood, upon himself, shall be.

He has given in usury, and taken increase, And he lives? He does not live, He has done all these abominations, He surely dies, his blood is on him.

14 But lo! he hath begotten a son, Who hath considered all the sins of his father which he hath done, - Yea he hath considered and not done like them:

And—behold, he has begotten a son, And he sees all the sins of his father, That he has done, and he fears, And does not do like them,

15 Upon the mountains, hath not eaten, And his eyes, hath not lifted up unto the manufactured gods of the house of Israel, The wife of his neighbour, hath not defiled;

He has not eaten on the mountains, And he has not lifted up his eyes To idols of the house of Israel, He has not defiled his neighbor’s wife,

16 And no man, hath he treated with violence, Hath by no means withholden the pledge, And plunder, hath not seized, — His bread—to the famished, hath given And the naked, hath covered with clothing;

He has not oppressed a man, He has not bound a pledge, And he has not taken away plunder, He has given his bread to the hungry, And he covered the naked with a garment,

17 From dishonesty, hath turned back his hand Neither interest nor increase, hath accepted, my regulations, hath executed, In my statutes, hath walked, — He shall not die for the iniquity of his father He shall surely live.

He has turned back his hand from the afflicted, He has not taken usury and increase, He has done My judgments, He has walked in My statutes, He does not die for the iniquity of his father, He surely lives.

18 His father Because he exacted unjust gain Seized plunder of a brother, And that which was not good, had done in the midst of his people Therefore lo! he died, in his iniquity.

His father—because he used oppression, Violently plundered a brother, And did that which [is] not good in the midst of his people, And behold, he is dying in his iniquity.

19 Will ye then say. Why hath not the son borne a part of the iniquity of the father? But the son hath done justice and righteousness, All my statutes, hath observed and done them He shall surely live.

And you have said, Why has the son not borne of the iniquity of the father? And the son has done judgment and righteousness, He has kept all My statutes, And he does them, he surely lives.

20 The person that sinneth, the same, shall die, — A, son, shall not bear a part of the iniquity of, the father Neither shall, a father, bear a part of the iniquity of the son, the righteousness of the righteous, upon himself, shall be. And, the lawlessness of a lawless man, upon himself, shall be.

The soul that sins—it dies. A son does not bear of the iniquity of the father, And a father does not bear of the iniquity of the son, The righteousness of the righteous is on him, And the wickedness of the wicked is on him.

21 But as for the lawless man— When he shall turn back from all his sins which he hath committed, And observe all my statutes, And do justice and righteousness He shall surely live. He shall not die:

And the wicked—when he turns back From all his sins that he has done, And he has kept all My statutes, And has done judgment and righteousness, He surely lives, he does not die.

22 None of his transgressions which he hath committed shall be remembered against him, —In his righteousness which he hath done, he shall live.

All his transgressions that he has done Are not remembered to him, In his righteousness that he has done he lives.

23 Could I take delight, in the death of the lawless? Demandeth My Lord. Yahweh. Must it not be in his turning from his ways in which case he shall live?

Do I take pleasure [or] delight in the death of the wicked?” A declaration of Lord YHWH, “Is it not in his turning back from his way—And he has lived?

24 But, when a righteous man, shall turn away, from his righteousness and do that which is perverse, Shall do, according to all the abominations which the lawless man hath done, Shall he live? None of his righteous acts which he hath done, shall be remembered, In his treachery wherein he hath been treacherous, And in his sin wherein he hath sinned, In them, shall he die.

And in the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he has done perversity, According to all the abominations That the wicked has done, Does he then live? All his righteous deeds that he has done are not remembered, For his trespass that he has trespassed, And for his sin that he has sinned, For them he dies.

25 Can ye then say— The way of My Lord will not be equal? Hear I pray you O house of Israel, Will my way, not be equal? Will not your ways be unequal?

And you have said, The way of the Lord is not pondered. Now hear, O house of Israel, My way—is it not pondered? Are not your ways unpondered?

26 When a righteous man shall turn away from his righteousness and do that which is perverse and die because of those things In his own perversity which he hath done, shall he die.

In the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he has done perversity, And he is dying by them, He dies for his perversity that he has done.

27 But when a lawless man turneth away from his lawlessness which he hath done, And hath done justice and righteousness He, shall save his own soul, alive:

And in the turning back of the wicked From his wickedness that he has done, And he does judgment and righteousness, He keeps his soul alive.

28 When he considered, then he turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed, He shall surely live. He shall not die.

And he sees and turns back, From all his transgressions that he has done, He surely lives, he does not die,

29 Can the house of Israel then say- The way of My Lord will not be equal? Will my ways, not be equal O house of Israel? Will not your ways be unequal?

And the house of Israel has said, The way of the Lord is not pondered, My ways—are they not pondered? O house of Israel—are not your ways unpondered?

30 Therefore, Every man according to his own ways, will I judge you O house of Israel, Declareth My Lord Yahweh, Return ye—and make good your return—from all your transgressions, That they become not unto you a stumbling block of iniquity.

Therefore, I judge each according to his ways, O house of Israel,” A declaration of Lord YHWH, “Turn back, indeed, turn yourselves back, From all your transgressions, And iniquity is not for a stumbling-block to you,

31 Cast off from you all your transgressions which ye have committed against me, And make you a new heart; And a new spirit, - For why should ye die, O house of Israel?

Cast away all your transgressions from over you, By which you have transgressed, And make a new heart and a new spirit for yourselves, And why do you die, O house of Israel?

32 For I cannot take delight in the death of him that dieth, Declareth My Lord Yahweh, Make good your return then and, live!

For I have no pleasure in the death of the dying,” A declaration of Lord YHWH, “Therefore turn back and live!”